It was the perfect British venue for two expats who have lived in Bermuda, Cayman, Qatar & Cyprus. I always get such a warm welcome from General Manager Nick Connolly, Bar Manager Callum Silvester looks after me so well and the quality of food at this Jason Atherton grill restaurant is excellent.

Temple & Sons

The Temple & Sons name comes from Henry John Temple or Viscount Palmerston, who was twice British Prime Minister in the 19th Century. Palmerston House was on the site now occupied by Tower 42. The City of London is full of so much incredible history and a fun place for me to live at present.

The Welcome

I was the first to arrive and taken upstairs where Callum seemed genuinely thrilled to see me again. The place is furnished to evoke a Victorian grocery.

No Cocktails in Tins

I wanted to try a Bloody Mary from a tin but Callum explained the concept of canned premixed cocktails had failed because customers missed the theatre of cocktails being made in front of them and were suspicious of drinks they had not seen being made. I still got a Bloody Mary and it was deliciously spicy with horseradish etc

The Menu

Callum brought us a tray of uncooked meats to show us the various options available, as they do with the steaks in CUT by Wolfgang Puck. The narrow Temple & Sons building also reminds me of 45 Park Lane.

I would have liked to try the wood fired pork chop, collar and crackling with sage & pine nut crumb but my guest had an afternoon meeting and so the 45 minute cooking time meant this was not possible. Instead I picked the sausage & mash and my guest's choice was the pork, apple & black pudding sausage roll with HP gravy that I had on my last visit.

Main Courses

​There are not many things better than good bangers & mash. The excellent Temple and Sons version came with roasted onions & homemade whole-grain mustard. The sausage had a deliciously subtle flavour and the mash a perfect consistency.

We got sprouting broccoli with an anchovy & caper puree to share with this. It was a moreishly perfect side dish. Last time we were there we tried the campfire barbecue beans but felt they were undercooked for our taste and there was too much mozzarella. We made a better choice this time.

Two Desserts

For dessert I picked the frozen PBJ cone with roasted brioche crumb & Morello cherry jam and my guest the lemon meringue cone. These were a perfect size and a refreshing end to the meal.

My guest had to rush off and once she left the staff brought me a second dessert to try. They read my mind as this was the dreamy sticky toffee pudding with Cornish sea salted caramel sauce & clotted cream ice cream I was desperate to taste. It was as decadently rich & delicious as I had hoped for and I had to order a double espresso after this.

Executive Head Chef Paul Walsh

Downstairs I met Paul Walsh again as I was leaving and he explained the special dinner he was cooking with Jason Atherton in the restaurant that evening. I always love meeting Paul.

🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻(6 out of 5 ‘teddies’) - the welcome from Nick & Callum and my chat with Paul Walsh; excellent food; & being brought the sticky toffee pudding without me asking for it broke the 'teddy score' again. My tip:- we felt too hot on our first visit but the table on the second visit was perfect. Ask, therefore, for a table upstairs at the front of the building.

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This photo shows how narrow the Temple and Sons building is & how close it is to Jason Atherton's City Social in Tower 42 (the former NatWest Tower).

My Bloody Mary was not from a tin but still a delicious spicy cocktail with horseradish etc

There is nothing better than good bangers & mash. The excellent Temple & Sons version came with roasted onions and homemade mustard.

My frozen PBJ cone with roasted brioche crumb & Morello cherry jam in the foreground and the lemon meringue cone in the background.

Despite the narrow building the restaurant feels light and airy. This is the upstairs, where we ate, with Nick the General Manager in the background.

I ended the afternoon with a double espresso thinking about my friends in New York & the snow there.

That evening I had been invited to a concert in the refurbished Milton Hall Concert Hall in the Guildlhall School of Music & Drama in The Barbican.

Thanks for more kind words of support. This place does British food at its best & has staff to match.

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The Authors

Si Frew has lived in the UK, Bermuda, Qatar, Cyprus & the Cayman Islands. During this time he met Whoopi Goldberg (in Claridge's), Mike Tyson (in the Concorde Lounge at JFK) , Gordon Ramsay (in the Doha Four Seasons), Chris Eubanks (in The Dorchester), Cherie Blair (in Bermuda & again in the Doha Four Seasons) etc. There are funny stories attached to all these interactions, feel free to ask Si about them when you meet him.

Simon is a banking regulator who was trained by the Bank of England and is currently working as a Banking Consultant, living in the Cayman Islands.

He loves Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, The Dorchester and Veuve Clicquot.

IssyIssy is a Beanie Baby who was a gift from the Founder of Four Seasons' office. He is Simon's regular travelling companion & confidant. ​He experiences luxury in life and little else. It is Issy who guides Si through some of his more entertaining adventures.